Stephanie | She/Her
@rumorsofselander.bsky.social
Southern US-based writer and avid reader of speculative fiction, gothic horror, and dark fairy tales. Focusing on short stories! 🚫 No AI 🚫
Today is the day! My debut novel, THE DEVOURING, is out now! I want to give the biggest "thank you" to all my friends, family, beta readers, reviewers, and everyone who preordered this book. You've helped make this dream come true. Get your copy: amshilling.com/books #WritingCommunity #Booksky 💙📚️
Hi hello, yes, this was specifically written for me.
Reactor Magazine@reactorsff.bsky.social · 4mo agoDid you grow up obsessed with The Last Unicorn, adapted for the screen by Peter S. Beagle from his classic novel? It's a movie beloved by an entire generation of fantasy fans–let's talk about why it's so foundational 🌙
I’ve been exploring in a few WIPs how characters deal with feeling confined or like they have no control over their circumstances—what it means to be told to accept something that’s unacceptable. It’s been cathartic to discover where these stories take me.
Ian Haramaki 🏳️⚧️✨ @ Megaplex C9@cometkins.bsky.social · 5mo agoWhat do YOU think is the best part of your current WIP? #WritingPrompt
wanna read a modern gothic horror novel about an autistic woman getting revenge on her messy ass Dominican family??? :^) YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NICER TO MY MOM is out now in hardcover, ebook and audiobook! #booksky
Writers -- where are the cool kids submitting their work these days? Comment your favorite lit mags below and we might feature your pick on a list, who knows ;)
I tried to pace myself with this new book, but I found it so nourishing in this current energy depleting world that I kept drinking it in, page after page. I know I will return to consume more again.
What's something that makes you feel rooted? What anchors you? If you have writing that explores our theme, make sure to submit to the #SFWPJournal after reviewing our guidelines right here: buff.ly/YjL13Jo
Are you looking for a story that will keep you up all night pondering the nature of existence and our place in the universe? You're in luck--here are five excellent sci-fi short stories that deal with deep existential questions...
Five Speculative Stories To Cure or Inspire an Existential Crisis - Reactor
Who wants to stay up late contemplating the nature of existence and other mysteries?
reactormag.com
Voting for the 2026 Locus Awards is open to everyone! Choose your champions and give a voice to your favorite works and authors of the year. Vote online at poll.voting.locusmag... or via the link in our bio!
People support fictional women doing bad things much more than I expected. Villainesses RISING.
Ian Haramaki 🏳️⚧️✨ @ Megaplex C9@cometkins.bsky.social · 5mo agoWhat’s something your audience ended up liking more than you anticipated? #WritingPrompt
“Just Ella” by Margaret Peterson Haddix was my fave YA retelling of Cinderella as a kid! Also loved Robin McKinley’s work. As an adult I revisit Tanith Lee’s “Red as Blood, or Tales of the Sisters Grimmer” & Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” short story collections for my dark fairy tale fix.
Christina Orlando@cxorlando.bsky.social · 5mo agookay friends! tell me about your favorite fairy tale retellings! can be any genre, but i'd love to know why you love it
A BILL TO SUPPORT "Senator Jack Reed (RI) and Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) have introduced the Right to Read Act (H.R.6440 / S.3365), landmark legislation that invests in school libraries, strengthens literacy, and defends students' freedom to read." (from @everylibrary.bsky.social )
…badly. 😬
🌱 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 5mo agoTell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Silly hypothetical for those of us who feel we torment our characters a bit! Your characters have broken the fourth wall and know you are responsible for everything that happens to them. How do they react? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
you *will* read third person and you will like it.
Side-note @blacktabbygames.com has me in a #ScarletHollow replay loop. The Ch. 5 drop is *amazing*, with absolutely top-notch music by @brandonboone.bsky.social This new song was my favorite: brandonboone.bandcamp.com/track/a-worl...
A World Without You There to Guide It (Feat. Amelia Jones), by Brandon Boone
from the album Scarlet Hollow Episode 5
brandonboone.bandcamp.com
This was fun! Focused on titles that have most inspired me creatively as a writer. Honorary Runner-up #10 is Higurashi When They Cry. #Gamesky
YES! Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung are breathtaking in this movie.
Annika@annihowls.bsky.social · 5mo agoFinally watched In the Mood for Love after meaning to for decades. Holy shit it’s utterly gorgeous. Every frame is stunning. Her dresses! Her eyeliner! Oh my god everything is so beautiful.
Many times. 😅 My ideas can start too big. But even when I try to start small this happens! I was writing a story with only two main on-screen characters… I wound up axing one in order to replace her with a formerly off-screen character. I am just as mystified by my writing process as anyone.
🌱 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 5mo agoTell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Technical question! Have you ever scrapped a character entirely after they were created, named and/or written into the story? What inspired their removal? How important were they to the story at that point? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
For horror, my pick is Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker (Pub. April 2025). It’s phenomenal. #Booksky
Christina Orlando@cxorlando.bsky.social · 5mo agookay this prompt might start a fight but: what is THEE sci-fi/fantasy/horror/romantasy book from the past year or two that makes you feel like, "oh my GOD you haven't read this yet?? you absolutely must read this immediately"?? like what's your pick for essential contemporary sffh reading
Lately I’m like an 8-9. There is a plan! I promise! But if anyone but *me* sifted through the current state of my drafts, they would have absolutely no idea what the plan is. Admittedly my plan changes a lot as I go, which means the notes would require a lot of on-the-fly tweaking…
RJ Zielonka, Author@bobz.bsky.social · 5mo agoGuest #WritingPrompt day: On a scale from 1-10, how organized/disorganized are your book notes/ keeping track notes for your current WIP? 1 Being: Organized, orderly, maybe even in an excel or google sheet. 10 Being:
I have a deep abiding love of tragedy as a genre. As a result I lean towards stories, and therefore endings, that focus on loss. Sometimes it’s in the sense of overcoming that loss and moving forward; other times, it’s succumbing to that loss. Other stories explore the space between those extremes.
🌱 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻@charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 5mo agoTell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters Technical question! Do you prefer to write happy endings for your characters? Or would you rather some tragedy? Be as general as you like, to avoid spoilers! But as a writer, which captures you more often? #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Before you argue about the merits of literary fiction versus science fiction versus speculative fiction, consider: Are genres helpful? Are they necessary? Are they kind? In the newest Mark As Read, @mollytempleton.com reconsiders the role of genre:
Unfortunately I Am Wrestling With Genre Again - Reactor
Can you ever really draw a line between genres? And does it matter?
reactormag.com
Gorgeous cover on this issue!
Uncanny Magazine@uncannymagazine.bsky.social · 5mo agoICYMI, Uncanny Magazine Issue 69 Part 1 also features essays by Samantha Mills and Jim C. Hines; poetry by Izzy Wasserstein and Eva Papasoulioti; Caroline M. Yoachim interviewing Anjali Sachdeva; and Broci’s Kuolonuni as the cover! buff.ly/VcNzPe8
I am chaos incarnate. I always intend to be chronological and then a few hours later I’m jumping all over the place. For me, it’s like putting a puzzle together and realizing as you go which pieces belong where in the greater picture (and which you can throw right out).
Ian Haramaki 🏳️⚧️✨ @ Megaplex C9@cometkins.bsky.social · 5mo agoDo you prefer to write in order or out? Why do you prefer doing it that way? #WritingPrompt
Ooh, it’s back! This has been on my TBR for ages.
Reactor Magazine@reactorsff.bsky.social · 5mo agoA very happy welcome back to bookstores to maybe the best grimdark medieval horror ever
